Garland Moon.
It was becoming routine at this point: Byleth making her way to the Archbishop's office at the beginning of the month to receive information on the mission she and her class were to partake in. This time was a little different than the last. Professor Hanneman was here as well. "Hm…?"
"You're here. Professor." Rhea smiled towards Byleth. That gentle smile she was known for. "I have a new mission for your students. But this one will be slightly different than the previous one. That is why Professor Hanneman is here as well."
"We have received reports that Lord Lanoto has rallied troops against the Holy Church of Seiros." Seteth explained.
"…Who is Lord Lonato?" Byleth asked. They were already talking about this person like she should know who he is, but that wasn't the case.
"Lord Lonato us a minor lord of the Kingdom," Rhea said. "He has been showing hostility toward the Church for quite some time now. That is why I am tasking both the Black Eagles and the Blue Lion classes to work together in this regard."
"And we certainly will not disappoint you." Hanneman said with a serious nod.
"A vanguard unit from the Knights of Seiros is already on its way to Castle Gaspard." Seteth crossed his arms. "Lord Lonato is nothing compared to the Knights. It is quite possible that the rebellion has already been suppressed."
"Even so, I would like your classes to travel with the knights' rear guard to deal with the aftermath." Rhea said.
"War zones are unpredictable." Seteth added. "I do not suspect you will have cause for battle, but be prepared for the worst."
"I understand." Byleth nodded and then turned to Hanneman. "I look forward to working with you, Hanneman."
"Likewise." Hanneman said. "Joint operations like this are rare, but in this instance, I can see why we would be called upon."
"Excuse me, Lady Rhea?" Catherine appeared. "You sent for me?"
"This is Catherine." Rhea introduced one of the strongest Knights of Seiros. "She will be leading the knights whom you will be accompanying. She is one of our bravest knights, and that is no small feat. Only an exceptional few have what it takes to join the Knights of Seiros."
"Your praise always makes me smile, Lady Rhea. I do my best for you." Catherine said with a slight bow of respect.
"This mission should prove useful in demonstrating to the students how foolish it would be to ever turn their blades on the church." Rhea's tone lowered ever so slightly. Byleth picked up no this very subtle shift in the Archbishop's voice. There was a very small hint of malice buried within.
"…Mhm." Byleth just nodded in response. She wasn't sure how to respond to that sort of statement…
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After their mission briefing, Hanneman quickly asked Byleth to meet him in his research lab. "I'm sorry to take your time, but I made a very important discovery about your Crest."
"Ah, that thing. I almost forgot about it." Byleth crossed her arms. "What did you learn?"
"Your Crest is an exceptionally rare one." Hanneman said, barely able to contain his excitement. "It is called the Crest of Flames."
"The Crest of Flames…?" Byleth blinks slowly. She wasn't even sure where this Crest manifested on her body, but she began to look around for it regardless…all while Hanneman was excitedly explaining just how rare this particular Crest truly was.
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Dimitri approached Edelgard in the courtyard. After hearing the news about this joint operation, he naturally wanted to speak with her about it. "I suppose you've heard the news, Edelgard?"
"Indeed I have, Dimitri." Edelgard responded with a nod. "I didn't expect such a thing to take place. But it appears that our classes will be partners for the coming month. Against Lord Lonato, no less. Do you have any thoughts about this?"
"I can't fathom why he would do such a thing." Dimitri stroked his chin in thought. He was trying to imagine any possible reason why someone from the Kingdom would stand against the Church, but he was coming up with nothing. Actually, there was one thing…but he wasn't sure… "The history of Faergheus is tied with the Church. To go against them at all is to go against the foundations of the Kingdom itself."
"Is that how you see it?" Edelgard asked. "And you're certain that there's no reason he would turn against the Church itself?"
"…There is one reason." Dimitri closed his eyes. "…It is just one thing I can think of, involving his son. But I cannot imagine that being strong enough ire to stand against the church."
"Oh?" Edelgard was slightly interested, but it seemed like Dimitri wasn't willing to spill that information just yet. No matter. She would likely find out the root cause of such a rebellion in due time. "Well, no matter the reason, we are tasked with making sure that it doesn't come to pass. I wonder what Rh – I mean, the Archbishop is trying to do here." Edelgard had an idea, but it wasn't something she would share with Dimitri.
"Indeed…" Dimitri said. His eyes then lingered on Edelgard for a moment.
Edelgard could feel Dimitri's stare. "…Is there something else you wish to ask me?"
"Do you remember…" Dimitri began, but shook his head. "Ah, no, it's nothing. Nevermind. Apologies, I should get getting to class." And then he left, a little awkwardly at that.
"…?" Edelgard was just left confused.
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"Aw man…" Luke groaned, slumping back in his seat in class.
"What's the matter?" Mercedes asked. "That was a very heavy groan."
"You heard the news, right?" Luke said, staring up at the ceiling. "We're going to be working with the Black Eagles this month. If I knew that was going to happen, I wouldn't have needed to fight some freaky pale woman and a monster!"
"Weren't you the one gloating about how well it went?" Felix asked with a scoff.
"That's not the point…" Luke rolled his eyes. "It's fine…"
"…I can't believe this…" Ashe was sitting by himself. The news that Lonato was rebelling against the Church.
"…Again, what's with him…?" Luke pointed at Ashe.
"Hey, don't point…!" Annette took Luke's arm and lowered it. "You don't know? Lord Lonato is Ashe's adoptive father. So he must be taking this really hard."
"…Oh…right. I think I remember hearing something about Lonato now that I think about it…" Luke said while glancing at Ashe. "Something about his son, I think…" He was recalling now…Lonato's son, Christophe was executed by the church. And when he thought about this, Luke groaned again. "…Another case of the dead having power over people in this place…" He mumbled.
"Did you say something?" Ingrid heard Luke mumble, but nothing more than that.
"Nah." Luke shook his head. "…I hope for Ashe's sake we can resolve this." Otherwise the cycle of the dead haunting people in the Kingdom would only continue. Everyone was concerned about Ashe, looking over at the downtrodden boy with worry…
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"So, we'll be working with the Blue Lions this month." Byleth told her students in class. "I hope that's not too much of a problem for anyone."
"W-We have to do what…!?" Bernadetta was already trembling at the thought of interacting with so many people. "S-Since there are already so many students helping out, I don't have to go, right?"
"This isn't something you can excuse away." Hubert said. This just caused Bernadetta to deflate and whine.
"There, there, Bernie…" Dorothea had a gentle smile on her lips, patting Bernadetta on the back. "Look on the bright side. With so many of us going, you'll be less likely to be targeted. You might not have to do any fighting at all, based on what the Professor's said."
"I sure hope so…" Bernadetta said quietly.
"This sounds like merc work." Shez crossed her arms, leaned back in her seat, and placed her feet on the desk in front of her. "The church could easily just send someone out to take care of this…but I guess Rhea wants to do it personally."
"You'd do well to address her as Lady Rhea." Linhardt corrected Shez. "You'll make a lot of people here upset if you don't. Just a fair warning." He said before yawning and falling asleep on the spot.
"…D-Did he just fall asleep?" Shez stared at Linhardt. This wasn't the first time he fell asleep on command, but she would never get used to that.
"Not again…" Byleth let out a sigh. If it wasn't Linhardt not showing up to lectures, it was him falling asleep in the middle of it.
"Yeah, he's out for the count." Caspar nudged Linhardt and he wasn't budging.
"How does he be doing that…?" Petra stared, amazed.
"I'll give him a stern talking to later, Professor." Edelgard said.
"Oh! I got a question." Caspar said this but turned to Shez. "…That cool power of yours. What's its name?"
"Eh?" Shez blinked. She wasn't expecting Caspar to just…bring that up so casually. The one thing that made Shez feel self conscious, if only because it was a similar vein to the enemy they encountered recently. But…they seemed to be taking it well. "I don't…really have a name for it. I've been saving some gold up since that fight because that Kronya chick nearly broke my sword…" She pulled out her iron sword, the blade showing some cracks. "I don't know what kind of weapon she was using, but I didn't even notice the damage until after…"
"There's a shop out at the front gates." Byleth told Shez. "You can get some weapons there if you need them. But I was curious about that power as well."
"It needs a name." Caspar was determined.
"Uh…does it…?" Shez blinked. "I have no idea what to call it…"
"Horn mode!" Caspar said.
"No." Dorothea shook her head. "Try again, Cas."
"Or don't try at all…" Shez said. This was an unnecessary amount of attention. "I'll try to think of something…so you don't have to. Please don't, actually." She preferred it this way.
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"A revolt in the Kingdom, huh…?" Claude heard the news going about. As interesting as that was, the fact the Black Eagles and Blue Lions were teaming up for this on Rhea's orders had his attention more.
"I'm glad we don't have to deal with anything like that." Hilda said with an exasperated sigh. "Just thinking about having to fight a battle like that is soooooo exhausting. Not fit for me at all."
"The delicate flower?" Claude glanced Hilda's way, giving a small smirk.
"You said it, not me." Hilda gave an innocent smile. She didn't have to admit to anything when people said it for her.
"So I take it that means you don't plan on joining me?" Claude asked.
"Join you?" Hilda tilted her head. The way Claude looked…it looked like he was plotting some sort of scheme. "Claude, what are you thinking this time?"
"Oh, nothing major." Claude kicked back in his seat. "I just want to see how the Kingdom and the Church handle this kind of situation first hand. The Alliance would never get this far…after all, those roundtable discussions would take months. It would be too late by then."
"I suppose you're not wrong there." Hilda couldn't argue with Claude's point. "Well, just don't get hurt too badly out there. You're the only one people are looking at when they think of House Leaders. I absolutely don't want any of those gazes turning my way."
"Hah, of course. I'll be fine, don't worry." Claude replied. He wasn't being entirely honest. He had another motive for wanting to go, but he would keep that reason close to his chest for now.
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With the day over and night falling, Byleth was making a few rounds before planning to turn in for the night. As she walked through the halls, she heard a terrified voice.
"Ah…ha…fath….save…."
"…Was that noise…?" It sounded close and it echoed through the halls. Byleth looked around, searching for the source of the sound.
"A ghost, perhaps?" Sothis suggested. "No, that is surely not the case."
"….." Byleth didn't say anything.
"What is that look upon your face?! I am no ghost, if that is what was on your mind!" Sothis scowled, reading Byleth like a book.
"You say that, but…" Byleth decided to stop there. But she was partially convinced that Sothis was definitely a ghost of some kind. But that wasn't important right now, that topic could wait. For now, Byleth followed the source of the agonized groaning. She came to a stop at…Edelgard's door.
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Shez was out at the shopping area in front of the monastery. Since it was late, she didn't have to worry about waiting too long. Plus, she was doing business with Anna, who claimed to have the best of the best wares. "Hm…" Shez was looking at a steel sword; far stronger than the iron one she had, but compared to the special sword she could use? Who knew.
"Looking at that one, are ya?" Anna said with a smile. "That's a pretty strong sword if I do say so myself. You will not be disappointed with the results!"
"Is there a money back guarantee if I am?" Shez asked.
"Absolutely not!" Anna kept her smile. It's purely business.
"Ah…" Shez sighed.
"I'll do you a favor. I'll give you a small discount. You look like you can really use a weapon after all." She was holding up the near broken iron sword Shez showed her. "I'm not a monster for first timers. So I'll gladly cut you a deal for your first visit!"
"My first visit?" Shez blinked. Did this mean Anna was going to be more cutthroat with her sales going forward? Maybe she should consider actually shopping when the other stalls were open later…but she'd take this deal for now. "Sure, I'll buy it."
"Pleasure doing business with you!" Anna took Shez's gold, hugging the pouch close to her chest. Oh, how she loved her money.
Shez got a new sword out of the deal. She gave it a few test swings and liked what she felt. "Yeah, this'll work." She sheathed the sword and began to walk off. The moment she stepped into the monastery again, however…. "Now….which way was it to the dorms again…?"
"You're lost already!?" Arval couldn't believe this.
"It's night…! I don't usually go out of my room at night, so everything looks different…!" Shez defended herself. "Actually, don't tell me. I can figure this out myself."
"Are you sure you want to do that? I can just tell you." Arval didn't trust Shez's judgement when it came to directions.
"No, I can do this…!" Shez shook her head. She couldn't rely on Arval all the time, even fi they were partners. She wanted to prove she could look out for herself. So she wandered through the courtyard of the monastery, avoiding a few patrolling knights of Seiros in the process.
There was a woman who did see Shez practically bumbling about. Shamir just watched while sharpening a few arrows. Whatever Shez was doing…it wasn't any of her business. "The students here just get stranger and stranger…" She was definitely judging, though. Anyone who couldn't tell their surroundings at night was practically a lost cause.
Shez was at the very least, getting warmer to the dorms. She just had to remember which one was hers. "This is what I get for staying out all day." She continued to wander, but she sensed something around a corner. "Huh…?"
"Did you hear that?" Arval asked.
"Yeah…" Shez nodded. It was pretty suspicious to be out at night…but even more suspicious if there was someone else. So Shez carefully rounded the corner, noticing a long corridor. She walked down it, only for her to lose her footing on something. "Gah…!" She crashed onto the ground below, groaning loudly. "Ow…"
"Are you okay? That looked like it hurt." It wasn't a fatal drop, thankfully. But Arval was still concerned.
"I'm fine…" Shez grumbled while lifting her head up. She dropped from some kind of ladder and now she was underground? She had so many questions about what this place under the monastery was.
"Who the hell…"
"Huh?" Shez quickly sprang up, looking towards the man who was towering above her in terms of height. He was wearing a gray jacket, but he wasn't wearing shirt. "Who are you!?"
"That should be my question." Balthus said while looking down at Shez, cracking his knuckles. He just so happened to be wearing gauntlets as well. "What are you doing down here? You don't look like anyone I recognize…oh, I get it. You're here for the bounty on me, aren't you?"
"The what-!?" Shez blinked. She had absolutely no idea what was going on, but Balthus was already making some assumptions. She could tell that Balthus was looking for some kind of fight. So it looked like she was about to have a chance to try the sword she just bought from Anna.
"I don't know how you found this place, but I have no problem driving you out." Balthus said while assuming a fighting stance, pounding his gauntlets together. "I'm feeling pretty lucky today!"